


Cult Halloween 2015

by ab2fsycho



Series: The Candle Cult [7]
Category: The Candle Cult
Genre: Halloween event, Multi, One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others, You guessed it - Freeform, it's smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 10:07:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5123615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ab2fsycho/pseuds/ab2fsycho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tea has a very interesting Halloween this year at the Masquerade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to the Masquerade

Aiden yanked the top hat off his head and tossed it on the floor. Tea glared down at the fallen piece of attire and sighed through his nose. “I’m not wearing it,” the raven haired man argued.

Tea just shook his head. “Fine. I thought it looked cool.”

“If you like it so much, you wear it.”

“What are you, five?” Tea adjusted the man’s outfit before turning to his own. “At least comb back your hair.”

“You don’t think the frazzled look goes with the feathers?”

Tea rolled his eyes. “Do what you want, okay?”

“I don’t want to go.”

“I’d say don’t, but I’m not gonna be able to unless I drag you along.”

Aiden gave him a withering look as he slipped his mask on. Sometimes he wished Tea had just left him locked in the dark cell below the manor. In fact . . ., “If you lock me up—”

“Then you can’t mess anything up. Yeah, I know. That’s not going to happen.” Aiden watched Tea carefully as the other pulled and fidgeted with his own clothes, like he wasn’t sure he had put them on correctly. “Besides, might do you some good to talk to,” gripe at, “more people than just me.” He said this and yet Aiden had made it clear time and again he didn’t want to be here. Well, he hadn’t suc-ceeded in dying yet. Hadn’t tried in a while actually. And he hadn’t tried to leave.

Aiden shook his head. “I’m going to be surrounded by monsters.” He almost meant it as a joke.

But judging by Tea’s bitter remark, it didn’t come off as such. “You’ve known worse humans.” The half skinwalker slipped on his mask and turned to, presumably, tell Aiden to come on. He stopped when he saw the look the other was giving him. Taken aback by the squinting gaze and slightly open mouth, Tea grumbled, “Now what?”

Aiden assessed the other’s attire. Fur. Lupine mask. Gold eyes set perfectly behind said mask. Tea’s dwindling human traits seemed all but gone in this outfit but . . . he wasn’t getting sick with fear look-ing at him like he once had. Tea had been . . . he had not been as cruel as Tapi. He had not been as vio-lently opposed to Aiden being alive as he should have. The kid was stupid for letting him stick around this long, for helping him instead of hurting him more, especially given how terrible the initial argu-ments and struggles had been. Aiden rubbed his wrist, long since healed from having been broken. For once he didn’t have a claw mark begging his attention with every little movement.

And Tea, the once puppet who had always looked disheveled in one way or another, looked pristine.

It was strange seeing how much the cult had affected the other, how much it had brought the old Ro-wan out and buried the one who had been crushed repeatedly underfoot. There were glimpses of both, moments where Tea flinched and Aiden remembered there was more the other had been through than he’d seen. But it felt . . . very different to be talking to a Rowan that reminded him that there was a time before Tea was a beast. He hesitated to say he missed that kid that he used to shoo away, and it had always been hard realizing that same kid was the creature standing before him. Hard was an under-statement. It had been downright impossible.

Suddenly . . . it seemed possible.

The man went from almost grimacing to giving him one of his classic smiles, and he felt the strings on his heart squeeze tighter as a purple fluster reached Tea’s neck. He could actually feel the giant’s inter-nal reaction to the smile and it was . . . odd. Not as disconcerting as it had once been, but odd. Then the raven lord stated, “Now you actually look more like your kind.”

There was a great deal of tension surrounding Tea’s heritage and Aiden’s opinions on it. There was a great deal of tension between them in general, and it had only eased slightly as time after the takeover had passed. Anything Aiden said about Tea could come off as offensive or disheartening. He never knew with the giant. This time, however, Aiden’s words didn’t strike Tea as an insult. 

Still Tea pointed a clawed finger at the man and warned without returning the smile, “You’re pushing it, old man.”

The smile on the other actually widened at the nickname he had not heard in many, many years. Tea turned and left before he heard Aiden say, “Sure, kid.”

\--

“For someone so gung-ho to party, you’re holding up that wall very nicely.”

“And you are tipsy.”

Aiden leaned on the wall beside Tea, swirling his drink around as Tea’s arms tightened across his chest. “In the morning I will be sober. And you will,” he puffed out his cheeks in thought before he settled on, “probably still be thinking about your life’s choices like you are now.”

Wasn’t he always? Tea glared at Aiden, walls against the other up firmly as he refused to allow the oth-er to read him. It was one of the few (several) drawbacks to Aiden having Tea’s heart beating in his chest: the man now read Tea as easily as Tea read everyone. “Least you’re having fun for someone who swore he’d rather be locked in a cell.”

Aiden made a noncommittal noise, taking another long pull on his drink. Then he snorted. “You’re not?”

“I am.” He was watching. He’d spoken to a few, answered a few curious stares with a few brief expla-nations. Ultimately, he had enjoyed most of the activities of the ball. It was nice. He was starting to feel normal again even during such an abnormal event.

The raven haired man eyed the cultists before whispering in an exaggerated tone, “I haven’t seen you dancing.”

Tea rolled his eyes, blocking the other’s probing gaze from his vision by simply turning his head. He liked this mask. Maybe he should wear it more often. “I don’t have a partner,” Tea made up.

And then Aiden was laughing. “You have plenty to choose from! You got a tree, a rabbit or two, few birds . . .,” Aiden trailed off like he was stunted, thinking of all the people he had seen or heard of Tea interacting with. “You got a lot to choose from. And you’re holding up a wall.” He leaned closer to Tea as he said the last part, again defaulting to that exaggerated whisper.

He didn’t have the heart to make up any other excuses than the one. Lying was exhausting and it tend-ed to make him feel worse. So he went with honesty. “I don’t know how to dance.”

There was a long silence out of the other and Tea was hoping against hope that meant Aiden wasn’t going to argue with him about this too. At least the alcohol had made him somewhat pleasant albeit in-quisitive. He didn’t want to fight. Then Aiden blurted out very loudly, “How?!”

Tea flinched and leaned away from the shout immediately, snapping back, “It wasn’t exactly in my cur-riculum!” He expected the other to leave as soon as he retorted. Instead, he turned to see the other chugging the remainder of his drink. Eyes narrowing, Tea watched curiously and was almost scared to ask what he thought he was doing.

Then Aiden threw the glass on the ground and grabbed Tea’s forearm, sending a shock of intoxication through Tea’s system along with a solid determination. “Tonight you’re gonna learn,” Aiden declared as he pulled Tea onto the dancefloor.

Tea let out a frightened gasp before getting pulled into the thick of things.

\--

Aiden’s fingertips felt fuzzy and his limbs felt loose, which was exactly why dancing suddenly seemed like a wonderful idea. Tea had started off so stiff, bulking against everything Aiden tried to show him. Then the crowd of cultists and monsters (pretty monsters, they dressed very nicely for monsters) thick-ened so much that Tea was practically clinging to the smaller in hopes that he wouldn’t lose him in the mass. The music was slowing and Aiden was not thinking clearly enough to recall where he was, who he was with, and why he shouldn’t be doing what he was doing. In that moment, all that mattered was getting the other to have the fun Aiden thought he should be having.

“Hands like this,” Aiden instructed, Tea’s palms feeling warm lying across his own and his shoulder. It was incredible how quickly Tea’s body warmth penetrated the suit. Once Tea’s hands were settled, he placed his free hand on the taller’s waist. “I’ll lead.”

“You shouldn’t drink and driv-ve,” Tea declared, unable to hide his nervous stutter. Even in the dimmed light of the ballroom area and through the haze of alcohol Aiden could see the purple blush.

He gave the other a grin and realized quickly that even while he was under the influence, he could pick up on the inner workings of Tea’s head while touching like this. “Just follow me,” he said. “It’s easy.” Tea obeyed, overstepping, understepping, getting his feet mixed up at first. Aiden chuckled and de-clared, “How many drinks have you had, young man?”

“You’re one to t-talk.” Tea followed Aiden’s movements, not yet connecting the beat to the steps.

“Listen to the music. There’s this thing. It’s called rhythm.”

“I lost it.”

“You never had it.” Tea growled and Aiden laughed. Moving closer, he closed the space between them and said, “Stick close. Follow.”

Tea did, and he improved. He was still either lagging too much or moving too fast, but he was better than before. Aiden actually heard the taller’s heart pounding over the music and almost smiled. Still stiff in his hold, Tea uttered, “You’re really c-close.”

Aiden hummed. Normally such a comment would make him back off a bit. “But it’s helping you fol-low.”

“Makes you look short-t.”

Aiden bristled. “I’m not short, kid.” Just because Tea was a whopping seven feet didn’t mean he got to call Aiden short.

“I’m making us-s look like idiots-s.”

The nervousness crept along and tugged at him as well. “Nah,” he murmured. “Stick with me. You’ll look good.” Another snicker. “I’m drunk after all.”

He felt the other lighten at that, and before he knew it he was actually relaxing into the hold. Good, Aiden thought. Kid deserved to relax and have fun. Shifting them in time with the music, Aiden closed his eyes as soon as they were moving comfortably enough that he didn’t have to worry about the taller stepping on him. Now that he wasn’t so much focused on the action as the person he’d pulled into the action, the alcohol started making his head about as fuzzy as his fingertips and toes. He concentrated just enough to not lose balance and fall, but for the most part succumbed to the euphoria that was being inebriated and having the other’s heart keeping his beating in time. Strings plucked and pulled keeping the vital organ in his chest linked to the one in Tea’s, keeping him alive and feeling and swimming in the music playing around them. Tea was warm, warm as he usually was when Aiden actually found him sleeping. Warm as his cups often were after he’d drained them of his favorite drink. Tea was just warm, as he always had been in Aiden’s opinion.

He was met with a twinge of sadness from within Tea and immediately tugged the emotion from the other. Nope. Not tonight. Tea wasn’t allowed to feel sad tonight, Aiden had decided in his state. “Shouldn’t do that,” the giant muttered to him softly, reprimanding him as he always did when he tried to take on another’s feeling.

“You don’t own me,” Aiden retorted, intending it to be playful.

But it wasn’t. “I know.” There it was again. The sadness.

Aiden gripped Tea tighter, pulling him so they were chest to chest. He shouldn’t be upset. He was free. He was surrounded by beings . . . people who actually cared for him. He was so much better off than before, how could he still be so sad? Aiden understood why normally, but in that moment he wasn’t having it. He just wasn’t. Tea should have always been happy. Rowan should have always been happy. Aiden had promised.

He’d promised him.

“Rowan?” he murmured, strings tightening on his heart before he turned his head against the other’s. His lips brushed Tea’s jaw and he felt the alarm in the other before moving to press a tentative kiss to those lips. Lips that concealed rows of fangs. Tea’s hands tightened on Aiden’s person. Hands that bore claws. Aiden kissed a being whose eyes could see him just as plainly at night as he could during the day. Golden, inhuman eyes. Pulling back slightly, none of these truths made him question his ac-tions as much as the wait to see how Tea would react. None of those things bothered him. What both-ered him was the way Tea stared back at him like he had made some grave mistake.

Then every concern, doubt, and desire to run fled when Tea leaned forward and returned the kiss.

\--

He hadn’t believed it to be true. Tea couldn’t. He . . . he wanted it to be. Staring wide eyed at Aiden, he’d almost touched his fingers to his lips to feel if they actually had been kissed. He had stopped, hands instead cupping Aiden’s face before pulling him in again. Lips meeting Aiden’s, Tea felt another spark in his chest. It had been so brief and shocking the first time Aiden had kissed him, but it was en-gulfing him now.

Aiden responded to him fervently, gripping the lapels of his coat and jerking him harder against him. Tea gasped at the contact, the press of their bodies together as Aiden seized control of the kiss. For someone so inebriated, he was not nearly as sloppy as Tea would have imagined he’d be. Then again, Tea was not entirely without influence from Aiden’s buzz himself now that he was being subjected to the most physical, intimate touch he had had since waking up. His skin was awash in electric warmth and he felt . . . oh God he felt Aiden. He felt him, every bit of him without a single mental barrier blocking, and it was devastating in ways Tea had so, so rarely experienced. 

They had stopped dancing at the edge of the crowd somehow, leaving room enough for escape. Aiden pulled back slowly, their lips sore and bruised and hot as suddenly Tea was led away from the other cultists. Too dizzy to question and still way too secondhand intoxicated (Aiden’s alcohol was now on his breath too), he didn’t even flinch when he was pressed roughly into a wall with his lips being at-tacked once more. Hands gripping his waist and pulling his hips against Aiden’s, the other leaned heavily into him and ran a tongue over his lips. Tea whimpered, brow furrowing under the mask as it clacked against the raven lord’s. He felt Aiden start to pull away at the whimper, then pushed his mouth to his in reassurance as he fell drunkenly back into the other’s embrace. Palms pressed to Aiden’s head and neck, the other grunted and growled at the accidental press of talons. Tea was about to with-draw his hands when suddenly things got really loud and Aiden was being pulled off of him. He whimpered at the loss, eyes sliding open slightly as he was confronted with two shorter, identical masked individuals yanking Aiden off Tea by the arms and placing themselves between themselves and the giant.

“’Scuse us sir, you are in violation of um . . . dancing . . . etiquette—”

“Six inches! You must dance six inches apart!”

Tea blinked several times as the voices registered in his mind and he recognized the twins. He let out a frustrated growl. “Hands off the trash, fellow trash.”

Oh God, they were policing him. How long had they been doing that? “We did not see a verbal yes pass from him to you—”

“So you are cut off.”

“Guys, really?” Tea began, but they ignored the flustered half skinwalker in favor of guarding him against what they presumed a would-be assailant.

“Have you been tested?”

It was at that point that Tea felt the dazed Aiden go from confused and agitated to squinting at the two masked boys. Then the raven lord cursed and both Tea and he bristled. “What are you brats doing here?!”

The twins froze. Then a dual, “You!” escaped the both of them and twin punches struck Aiden hard in the nose. The mask broke, falling from Aiden’s face. His nose was bleeding and they were advancing. He glowered, still very much in a drunken stupor and itching for a fight.

And Tea was stuck watching.

\--

Aiden reoriented himself enough to swing at one of the redheaded brats, nailing him in the jaw. Then he swung another punch at the other (be it Cain or Abel, he didn’t particularly care) and was blocked by one of the kid’s hands before being decked a second time. This time, there was no mask to protect the rest of his face. His already fuzzy vision grew fuzzier and his already bruised and probably broken nose was suddenly more bruised and broken.

He grunted as one of the brats jumped up and wrapped his arms around Aiden’s neck, trying to choke him while also holding him still for the other twin. The boys snarled back at him as he hissed and he spun around quickly, using the body on his back to hit the other. The impact caused all three of them to fall to the ground and soon the twins were scrambling to seize the advantage of being on top of Aiden. One grabbed his arms, the other straddling his hips with fists raised and primed for punching. Aiden pulled and bucked, successfully elbowing the one grabbing at his arms in the face before uprooting the one on his torso. He was just about to roll onto his knees and tackle one of them.

Then somebody much larger than him picked him up by the waist and through him over his shoulder. The movement was so dizzying Aiden lost all drive to kick and slam his fists on the individual, going limp and just letting himself settle before he vomited on the giant’s back. “Got them?” the person (Tea, must be Tea) asked.

The answer came from a feminine Aiden recalled belonging to a masked woman. Chronic? Yes. Chron-ic declared to the boys, “Come along pups. You’ve attracted quite the attention.”

Aiden glanced up and saw she was right. There was, in fact, a crowd of cultists gathering around. In this state, they looked more distorted and disturbing than usual. He clutched at Tea’s back as the giant turned to carry him out of one exit, sighing heavily and groaning at the happenstance. Aiden caught a glimpse of Cain and Abel being led away by Chronic on tar leashes, following her obediently like the puppies they were. Closing his eyes, he grew heavy and his eyes slid closed. He listened to the music and sound of creatures partying happily as he was carried out. The last thing he remembered hearing was Tea grumbling, but couldn’t quite make out the words. He did, however, feel a certain ache of dis-appointment from the half skinwalker. He couldn’t stop the mischievous grin.


	2. After Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden is a bit tipsy and Tea just had to drag him back to his room. Things are a bit intense.

“Alright,” Tea flung Aiden on the bed just as easily as he’d picked him up and carried him all the way back to the room, “sleep it off, Roadhouse. I’m gonna check on the others.”

“No you’re not,” Aiden grumbled, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed.

Tea shoved him back down. “You made a mess. You are a mess. Now get some sleep.”

“Nuh,” Aiden argued, shaking his head and grimacing like a petulant child. Tea pushed him down as the other sat up again, reaching down to pull Aiden’s shoes off and toss them aside. Aiden kicked lightly, mumbling, “No, don’t touch.”

“I’m just taking—”

“They’re ticklish.”

Tea grunted, gritting his teeth to keep from grinning as he fought to get Aiden’s shoes off. He hit the wall as he threw each one, then tried pulling a comforter up over Aiden. Aiden pushed the blanket back down every time Tea pulled it close, like he was trying to get back up. Tea grew exasperated. “Just lie down and sleep already.” Aiden huffed and rolled over grumbling to himself. Tea thought he had won this battle, and so turned his back on the former Puppeteer and headed for the door.

Only to hear the comforter being flung off the bed and the mattress squeaking as Aiden launched him-self in Tea’s direction. Before Tea could turn around and meet his attacker, there was a warm body leaping up and clinging to his neck and waist. Tea’s knees buckled, the weight not unbearable but the action so surprising he let out a cry of shock. “Nope,” Aiden uttered directly in his ear.

“Get off!” Tea said in response to the answer given to his protest before he could even protest.

“Nuh.”

“Aiden!” Tea cried out, straightening up. To have the other clinging to him so fiercely, after Tea had successfully put the thought that they’d been kissing at the ball (and interrupted, goddammit), brought a heat to his neck and cheeks so overwhelming he almost groaned.

“Stay put,” Aiden declared.

“Aiden—”

“Don’t leave.” 

The request was so quiet Tea wouldn’t have heard it had it not been spoken directly into his ear. Sigh-ing, he guiltily carried Aiden like this back to the mattress and started shifting him from off his back to try and pry him off from the front. Aiden whined and grunted and growled the whole time, Tea mur-muring, “I just need to check on the others, then I’ll be right back.”

“They’re fine,” Aiden whined obnoxiously as Tea managed to get his arms from around his neck. He started on the legs, unwrapping them from his waist from his waist only to have Aiden’s arms encircle his neck once more. Wrenching his arms off, Aiden started immediately grabbing for Tea’s head again as Tea struggled. Tea felt an ounce of relief as Aiden started chuckling. Good. Laughter made the mus-cles weaker, he could get him off without a fight. Then Aiden commented, “You’re so purple.”

Tea glared through his mask, which was slightly askew due to the other’s struggling. Pulling Aiden’s hands free, he wasn’t the least bit surprised when said mask went clattering to the floor as Aiden tried to maintain his grip on Tea. “I’m not that purple.” If he was purple, it was because he was trying not to feel the effects of Aiden’s buzz. It certainly wasn’t because he was thinking about how nice Aiden’s lips had felt against his. Not in the slightest.

“You’re like a grape.”

Okay, at least he hadn’t said sugarplum. He sighed for what felt like the twentieth time as he looked down at the other’s mirthful face. It was . . . adorable. His face heated more and he offered, “Says the tomato.”

The wonderment fled and Aiden was clinging to him again, pulling Tea down with his weight as he de-cided very loudly, “I’m gonna eat you!”

Ignoring the somewhat credible threat, Tea started shoving him back off. “No, you’re—,” he was cut off by his own outcry when Aiden’s teeth snagged the pointed tip of Tea’s ear. “Ow!” he declared, leaning on the bed with his arms on either side of Aiden’s body as he hoped his declaration would free him.

It did not. Aiden started nibbling on his ear. “Mmm mmm good,” the other hummed.

Tea tried to pull his head away, losing the battle of trying to maintain a barrier between his emotions and the very drunk man’s. “Aiden, really?” Tea asked, his voice lighter than before.

It was about when Aiden started murmuring, “Om nom nom,” that Tea lost it. The hilarity of the situa-tion slammed into him, and he started giggling. The barriers fell and suddenly he felt just as intoxicated as Aiden was. He started laughing steadily louder, all the while the smaller was munching on his ear.

“Okay,” Tea collapsed on the other, still laughing. Aiden hummed in his ear, constricting around him as opposed to loosening his hold. “Okay,” Tea reiterated through laughter, “you win.”

“Yes,” Aiden hissed in his ear, the ‘s’ long and drawn out.

Tea couldn’t stop the giggling, his insides now as hot as his face. Aiden’s mental state continued run-ning in currents over his body, penetrating his skin and leaving him just as disoriented as if he were the one drunk. Rolling to their sides, his shoulders shook as he laughed. Aiden’s arms curled around his neck, legs curled around his waist, Tea’s stomach started flip-flopping as Aiden withdrew from his ear and pressed his forehead to the taller’s. Letting the other hold him, Tea wrapped his arms around Aid-en’s waist to assure him he was in fact staying. Warm all over and feeling almost feather light, Tea started kicking his own shoes off. A high-pitched whine sounded in Aiden’s throat and the smaller squeezed tighter around him. “Just shoes,” Tea explained quickly, kicking the constricting dress shoes off his bed.

Tea opened his eyes and was met with an absolutely devious look from the other. Glossy red eyes stared directly into his, then flickered up and down his face like he was sizing Tea up. “Sure that’s not all you need to take off?”

If Tea weren’t purple before, he certainly was now. He started shifting at the question, drawing his legs in tighter only to come in more contact with Aiden. “You’re drunk,” Tea uttered, the excuse weak as he was already remembering vividly the taste of the other’s lips.

“So?” Aiden responded. “You, know it’s kinda hot in here.” Aiden’s nose brushed against Tea’s affec-tionately. “It’s just,” Aiden started rolling the two of them over, Tea giggling nervously now, “so hot in here.” Aiden settled on top of Tea, straddling his waist as feathers suddenly brushed the giant’s jaw. “What are we gonna do about all this heat?” Aiden buried his face in Tea’s neck and Tea gave an invol-untary shudder. “It’s so hot, Tea.”

Yes, now that Aiden was on top of him and just finding excuses to get yet closer, it was in fact getting very hot. Tea felt the worry starting to creep in, worry that this was all going to be some trick he’d re-gret the next morning, worry that Aiden might actually hate him more after this. Shrinking under the other, he said, “Look,” then swallowed hard and fought to continue, “you’re not,” he was starting to feel sick, “in your right—”

Aiden gave another high-pitched whine that shut him up. Then he whispered directly in Tea’s ear again, “No.”

“Aiden, you don’t know—”

“No,” the smaller reiterated against Tea’s temple.

“Please listen, tomorrow you—”

“Will still love you.” Then he kissed Tea’s cheek and Tea melted. Everything inside of him untwisted and he couldn’t. Let. Go. He just. Couldn’t.

Tea brushed his lips over Aiden’s cheek and jaw, peppering him with kisses as his heart beat frantically in his chest. He reached the corner of Aiden’s mouth and the other turned his head to meet Tea’s lips again. Tea sucked in a breath through his nose and he couldn’t let go. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Clutching Aiden’s back tightly, Tea returned the kiss hungrily. All he wanted. All he had ever wanted. He had it. He had him. At last.

And he loved him. Aiden loved him.

Tea could have imploded. He moaned into the kiss, Aiden’s mouth moving harder against his as Tea relinquished control to him. He internally pleaded for this to be real, for this to actually be how Aiden felt for him. Based on the currents of energy pouring into him from the other, it was very true. Tea moaned again, the sound high in his throat and desperate. He gripped the other’s clothes, talons tearing holes in the fabric. Aiden pulled back to nip at Tea’s already sensitive lips, sitting back slightly and—oh. Oh wow. Tea bucked up at the brush of Aiden’s hips against his groin, eyes going wide in surprise as he gaped up at Aiden. That had . . . that had felt . . . really good. “Aiden?” Tea panted his name, eyes now hooded as he bit his lip and started rutting up against the other. Good, good, it felt good. He couldn’t believe how good it felt.

The smaller grinned down at him, and for just one second he looked as much an animal as Tea had been accused of being. “You look surprised.” Tea was. Instead of thinking of how shocking it was to feel anything of this sort in his natural state, he pulled Aiden back into an even hungrier, more invasive kiss where he used his tongue to part Aiden’s lips and gain more access to his mouth. Aiden groaned, hands sliding down to the buttons on Tea’s vest. Undoing the buttons one by one, Tea’s stomach started twisting again but quickly settled into another round of laughter as Aiden murmured, “Hot, hot, hot,” against Tea’s lips. The vest was easy to undo, and Tea got distracted trying to rush through the buttons on Aiden’s shirt. He started to feel panic building up as he poked holes in the fabric while Aiden was already halfway through unbuttoning Tea’s shirt. Sensing his state, Aiden moved Tea’s hands away. Grabbing either side of his shirt, he ripped it open, sending buttons flying as he leaned back down and cupped Tea’s face in his hands before capturing his lips again. The gesture saved Tea from his own head, clearing it once more before Aiden started undoing the rest of Tea’s clothing.

Tea was lost in the moment until Aiden stilled above him, hands frozen on Tea’s skin as he stared down at Tea’s chest. Tea went still as well, and couldn’t believe that in the midst of all of this he had man-aged to forget how his body was covered in scars. He stared up at Aiden’s face, waiting for a sign or emotion, anything to indicate what he was thinking. He was just starting to want to crawl away and hide when Aiden’s head dropped to Tea’s chest, the other wrapping his arms around Tea’s torso as he kissed the patch of skin over Tea’s still racing heart repeatedly. Tea stared down at Aiden’s head before letting his fall back onto a pillow, closing his eyes and lifting his hips against Aiden’s again. He gasped between every kiss as Aiden’s mouth moved up from his heart to his collarbone. He’d reached Tea’s neck when the giant half skinwalker’s chest and throat started vibrating. Aiden’s mouth left his neck and Tea continued shifting his hips against Aiden’s until he realized the other had stopped again. Tea’s eyes snapped open and the purring ceased as he saw the mystified look Aiden was giving him.

He did panic then. Covering his mouth, he whispered through his hands, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean t—”

“Are you okay?”

Tea quieted at the question, watching as Aiden’s face turned from bemused to concerned. “Y-yeah?”

“That noise.” Aiden’s brow furrowed as he half pointed down at Tea.

Tea held up a hand, feeling himself start to shake under the scrutiny. “I’ll try to be quiet, I’m—”

“Was that good?” Tea’s eyes darted up and down Aiden. He . . . he didn’t seem bothered. He should be. He hated skinwalkers, and Tea had just . . . how could the other be so genuinely curious and not disgusted? Tea swallowed hard and nodded in response to the question, and was just as astonished to be met with a look of awe as he had been that Aiden wasn’t backpedaled at the smallest reminder of what Tea was. In one fluid movement, Aiden’s mouth was back at Tea’s neck and he hastily uttered, “Do it again!”

Aiden’s tongue and teeth assaulted Tea’s neck, and suddenly Tea was bucking up into him. A combina-tion of purrs and moans fell from his lips, Aiden’s hands roaming Tea’s chest as he felt the vibrations through his fingers. Aiden’s lips returned to Tea’s and his hands slid down to untuck Tea’s shirt from his pants. Tea tried doing the same with Aiden, ending up in a fight with his suspenders and frantically growling at the article of clothing. “It’s a malignancy!” he declared as the suspenders unhooked in the back and popped forward on Aiden’s body, Tea’s claws snagging on the elastic.

Meanwhile Aiden was laughing, suddenly grabbing Tea’s wrists and pinning them to the mattress. Tea stared up at Aiden’s smirk, squirming beneath him as he panted and purred. He clenched and un-clenched his fists as Aiden looked him over again, perched above him and so clearly drinking in that he had Tea trapped beneath him. Tea should feel like he was in danger, should feel like his space was be-ing invaded. He should feel scared.

But he didn’t. Not with the way Aiden’s feelings poured into him through his palms. Not with the way Aiden was looking at him. He didn’t feel afraid at all. He felt his abdomen grow tight and he started purring even louder, the noise threatening to grow into something else entirely when next Aiden made a move.

When Aiden released Tea’s wrists, he undid the rest of his suspenders and top slowly and tossed them off the bed with his shoes. His chest now bare, Tea let out a whimper very much resembling a dog beg-ging. Aiden’s cheeks reddened further and he grinned before he began shoving Tea’s own top off his arms. Once shirtless, Tea reached up and touched a palm to Aiden’s scarred chest. Aiden shuddered, and Tea almost withdrew his already light touch. Sitting up slightly, he moved to gently hold Aiden’s waist as he pressed his own lips to the area above Aiden’s heart. Glancing up at Aiden with lips so swollen he was starting to feel the heat even as he pulled away, he tugged at one of Aiden’s palms and brought it up to his cheek. Turning to kiss it, he then closed his eyes and nuzzled the hand while clasp-ing the palm in both hands. The half skinwalker didn’t realize he was crying until Aiden’s thumbs were smearing wet streaks on his cheeks. “No, why?” the other asked solemnly, words whispered as he cra-dled Aiden’s face in his hands.

“I’m . . . happy,” Tea explained.

Aiden hummed, then slid his arms around Tea’s neck and kissed him gently. Arms circling Aiden’s waist, Tea returned the kiss fervently and rutted up against Aiden’s core once again. The smaller dugs his nails into Tea’s back and rode Tea’s questioning thrusts, short breaths growing shorter as their lips pulled apart and their breath intermingled. Keeping one arm around Tea’s neck, Aiden withdrew one palm to slide it down Tea’s torso towards his belt buckle. Popping it loose and pulling Tea’s pants un-done, Tea should be worried. He should be flinching, not guiding his hips up into Aiden’s. But he was fine and he was feeling good and he was happy.

He was so fucking happy.

Tea reached for Aiden’s own belt buckle and fly, and just this once his talons didn’t snag on the fabric. Separating momentarily to shuck their bottoms, Aiden was soon straddling Tea again. Tea gasped at bare skin on bare skin, fists clenching against Aiden’s back to keep his claws from digging too much into the smaller’s skin. One of Aiden’s hands clenched at the hair just above his nape and Tea just . . . his eyes closed and his body went limp. He lied down immediately, Aiden mouthing a quiet, “Whoa, whoa,” as Tea lay limp under him. Total relaxation washed over Tea just as Aiden’s hand slipped from his nape and his breathing sped back up. “Is that normal? What did—?”

“S’new,” Tea slurred. He honestly felt like he could just melt into the bed and he’d feel perfect, just perfect. “S’good,” he panted before Aiden could worry. The way he’d just given complete and total control to Aiden without an ounce of fear or concern for himself . . . he felt incredible. Aiden snickered pleasantly above him, then lined up with Tea’s hips and a jolt of electricity shot life back into the giant. Brow furrowing and head tilting back, Tea’s mouth opened and he started off with a quiet moan. When Aiden wrapped his fingers around both of them, the moans grew higher and turned into pants. Their hips shifting together as Aiden held them caused Tea’s breathing to escalate to a very inhuman, very animal cry of pleasure. Clawed hands running up and down Aiden’s thighs and sides without leaving a single mark, Tea was utterly violet as he locked eyes with the equally moaning and gasping Aiden. Tea’s abdomen reached its tightest, and he adored this. He felt this, he adored this, he loved this, he loved him. Tea loved Aiden, Aiden loved him. He couldn’t stop himself, eyes closing and head tilting back and exposing his throat he said it. “I love you.” The words fell from his lips as he spilled on Aid-en’s hand and himself.

Aiden’s hips and hand moved furiously against Tea in search of his own orgasm. When he found it, he placed his hand beside Tea’s arm to keep himself from just collapsing on top of him. Both panting and gasping, Tea was purring with his head still tilted back. Heart racing, he waited for the other to move. He waited to see what he would do, what he would say.

It spoke volumes to Tea that the first thing Aiden did after catching what he could of his breath was kiss Tea’s bared throat. Slipping up to Tea’s lips, Aiden placed a tender kiss to Tea’s mouth and whis-pered, “I’m yours.” Tea’s heart swelled to bursting at the words and the continued press of lips. Aiden was his. He was his.

Their arms wrapped securely around each other, Tea kissed Aiden until their lips were bruised and tired. Then he went to sleep purring with those words still playing in his ears. Aiden was his. He wanted to tell Aiden the same.

He had never felt this good about belonging to anyone.


	3. Shut Up and Dance with Me Said the Leader to the Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea is asked to dance with the last person he expects to be asked by.

“May I have—?”

 

“Notwithhim!” And the next thing he knew, Alulle was dragging the beautifully dressed Lola away from him.

 

Tea was partially grateful that Alulle saved him from the embarrassment of having to explain he didn’t know how to dance. On the other hand, the demon’s blatant dislike towards him was still off-putting. Sighing, Tea kept his eyes on the others. Transfixed on the decorated surroundings, he admired the gowns and suits and masks, the dancing and carrying on, the people who seemed to thrive even after a huge hit from opposing forces. Things were beginning to feel . . . alright.

 

He sighed, watching everyone enjoy themselves, drinking and acting normal. He kept his eye on a select few, ensuring their safety (or that of those around them). He was about to go wrestle with his need for a good cup of tea when someone beside him declared, “A word with you, traitor?”

 

Tea shrank at first, then realized it was Tapi. He considered shrinking further, actually. However, he followed the finely adorned cult leader to a more private section of the ball. Glancing over his shoulder at those he was keeping his eyes on, he wondered what he had done wrong this time. He’d been trying his best to meet her expectations, to repay the debt he owed her in whatever way he could. In a way he felt he never would. He would always be beholden to her.

 

There was a small part of him that was okay with that. “Something you need?” he asked quietly, trying not to sound concerned.

 

“As a matter of fact, sugarplum,” his face purpled at the nickname, “I could use a dance partner.”

 

He froze, then backpedaled. Holding up his hands, he started to protest and give her the honest truth. He didn’t know how to dance. He had never danced in his life, had only watched. “I’m sorry, I don’t—”

 

Before he could turn fully away, arms of smoke were pulling him back and drawing him to her. “In another life, you did,” she assured.

 

His brow furrowed. “You know this how?”

 

She gave an uncharacteristic smirk, but did not answer the question. Instead she unwrapped the fur boa around his neck, whispering, “This fits the mask, but,” then tossing it to the side, “can’t really wrap my arms around your neck with it there.” She stepped into him, doing just that and wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn’t know what else to do other than to encircle her waist with his own arms, swallowing hard as another, slower number started. “Now, basically hug me,” he obeyed, tightening his hold, “and rock.”

 

This wasn’t dancing. He knew in the back of his mind that it wasn’t dancing, but it was working for her. Relaxing into her hold, he closed his eyes as she rested her head on his chest. Tapi snug against him, he rocked the both of them back and forth, not at all focusing on the rhythm of the song. That didn’t seem to bother Tapi and so he continued doing as she requested. She was warm and soft against him, and she smelled oh so sweet. Like candy. It was strange how candy-like she smelled to him.

 

He didn’t realize he was sniffing the part of her hair not lit by her flame until her felt her laughing against him. “Sorry,” he muttered, flushing a deeper purple.

 

Tapi glanced up at him, and he swore her eyes were not blue but a stormy gray as she whispered, “It’s fine,” before clinging tighter to him. More warmth poured into him as they continued the almost dance. By the time it slowed, he was more relaxed than he had been before. And Tapi seemed less . . . harsh. “Thank you Tea,” she said, and before he knew it she’d pulled away with a peck to his cheek. He was soon standing on his own.

 

Staring ahead for a few more moments, he ran the tips of his claws over the spot where she had kissed. Then he returned to the ball to continue watching. Her warmth stuck with him.


End file.
